Tool for segmenting citrus fruits



y 6, 1941- R. FOLK, sR., ET AL TOOL FOR SEGMENTING CITRUS FRUITS Original Filed April 13, 1938 ATTORNEY5.

Patented May 6, 1941 TOOL FOR SEGMENTIN G CITRUS FRUITS Ralph Polk, Sn, Miami, and Ralph Polk, Jr.,

Haines City, Fla, assignors to The Polk Development Company, Tampa, Fla., a copartnership of Florida (iriginal application April 13, 1938, Serial No. 201,732. Divided and this application June 7, 1939, Serial No. 277,845

4 Claims. (Cl. 1463) This application is a division from our application Serial No. 201,732 filed April 13, 1938 which has matured into Patent.2,199,345, April 30, 1940, and is directed to the subject matter illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of that application.

In order to can the meat of citrus fruits, it is desirable that the segmental juice-cell groups be substantially unbroken and free from their inedible integument envelopes. To that end, the radial portions of such integuments must be separated from their juice-cell groups to which they are bonded.

One method of procedure involves the mechanical peeling of the fruit to remove not only the skin but also the major portion of the circumferential portions of the integuments which envelope the individual juice-cell groups, and thereafter, the formation of Voids, extending parallel with the polar axis of the fruit, in the apices of the radially extending integuments, thereby extracting the seeds, if they exist, and removing a small portion of the meat at the apices of most of the juice-cell groups. Our present invention relates to a tool, one blade of which may be projected into and through the Void between the radially extending portions of one integument and the other blade of which will enter the void in the apex of an immediately adjacent pair of radial integuments, the two blades thereby straddling two adherent radial adjacent integuments, whereupon one or both of the blades may be swung outwardly substantially in the bonding planes, to separate the meat of a juicecell group from its bonded integument without substantial rupture of the juice-cells 'at the face of the group.

An individual tool may be projected successively through different segments of the fruit or a circular series of such tools may be so arranged as tosimultaneously enter the fruit,

The accompanying drawing illustrates our invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of one of the tools;

Fig. 2 a perspective view of a circular series of such tools; and

Fig. 3 a transverse section through the two blades of the tool.

In the drawing It indicates a narrow thin blade sharpened along one edge I I and provided, at its tip, with laterally extended lug I2 longitudinally tapered. Blade III is provided, at its upper end, with a pivot point I3 and the laterally extended arm I4 by means of which the blade may be swung. Paralleling blade I is a narrow, thin blade I5 which, at its lower end, has an outturned tip I6, the lateral extent of which is less than the width of an average fruit section a short distance outwardly from the apex thereof. Blade I5 is sharpened along one edge I! and blade I4 is pivoted thereto at I3. The upper end of blade I5 is provided with a laterally extending arm I8 and a pivot point I9 by means of which it may be pivotally mounted in a cylindrical head 20 to swing in a radial plane relative to said head. The head 20 is provided with an actuating stem 2| and carries, preferably, about half as many tools as there are fruit segments in an average fruit.

Blade III, near its root, is provided with a laterally extending finger 22 which overlies the adjacent edge of blade I5.

Blade III is slightly longer than blade I5 so that in a circular series of tools the outturned tip I6 of blade I5 will overlie the upper end of the lug I2 of the adjacent blade II] of the adjacent tool. In use, the tip I2 is inserted into the fruit within and close to the apex of the V- shaped integument of a fruit section, the tapered lug I2 serving to position blade I0 substantially in the bonding plane of one radial arm of the V-shaped integument enveloping that fruit section, while the outturned tip I6 of the adjacent blade I5 insures that the blade I5 will enter the next adjacent fruit segment, in the apex between the V-s'haped integument of that next adjacent segment. When the tips of the two blades have been passed through the fruit, the blades may be swung outwardly, radially of the fruit, so that the blades will rupture the bond between the radially extending integument portions and the adjacent juice-cell groups. If the outwardly acting force is applied to blade I5, the two blades I5 and I0 will move together because of the overlying finger 22 and thus simultaneously break the bonds between the adjacent juice-cell groups and an adherent pair of radially extending integument portions. As such an action is likely to too greatly stress the fruit, tending to break the bonds between the adjacent integument portions, we deem it preferable, after the tool has penetrated the fruit, to first swing the blade I0 outwardly and thereafter the blade I5 outwardly.

Generally the above-described tools are to be a used in a circular group and when so used, the

tines will enter the fruit immediately within the apices of the integuments so that the fork not only supports the fruit but the tines serve to hold the V-shaped integuments against radial displacement during the outward swinging of the blades of the tool.

We claim as our invention: 1. A tool for rupturing the natural-bond between one side of a juice-cell group of a fruit of the natural citrus type and the adherent radial integument, comprising two thin closely parallel blades held together in that relation, one blade having a laterally projecting tapered lug at its tip beyond the tip of the other blade and upon its face opposite said other blade, the said other blade having its tip bent outwardly away from the first-mentioned blade. 7

2. A circumferential group of tools of the character described in the immediately preceding claim, arranged about a common axis with the outwardly curved tip of one blade of each pair overlying the laterally extending lug of the lugbearing blade of an adjacent pair.

3. A tool of the character specified in claim 1 wherein the blade which carries the lug is pivoted at its root to swing relative to the companion blade in substantial parallelism therewith.

4. A tool of the character specified in claim 1 wherein the blade which carries the lug is pivoted at its root to swing relative to the companion blade in substantial parallelism therewith, said pivoted blade having a portion near its root laterally overlying the companion blade to limit swing of the pivoted blade in one direction.

RALPH POLK, sx. RALPH POLK, JR. 

